Lovesick
by FallingIllusion
Summary: Because of a single instant on his rescue mission, Ichigo finds himself trapped between his heart and his mind. Will he follow his heart, or be guided by the world’s standards? Ichi/Shuu and Ichi/Ruki -one-sided-. This is a yaoi fanfic.
1. Chapter 1: What About a Girl?

**Story Title: **Lovesick

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** On his mission to rescue Rukia, Ichigo is faced with a life changing decision that ends up ripping apart his heart and mind. Ichi/Shuu and Ichi/Ruki (one-sided). This is a yaoi fanfic.

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_ own Bleach.

--

**Chapter 1 – What About a Girl?**

_Ichigo fought on Sokyoku Hill, using every bit of power he could conjure to defeat his opponent. As he charged his eye caught the petrified eyes of a man standing on the sidelines. Time seemed to slow as he looked at the man who stared after his Captain. Ichigo felt a pain in his heart like he had never felt before, not even towards Rukia, the girl he risked his life to save._

--

Ichigo sighed as he dragged his heavy feet up the pavement towards his school. _Another boring day, _he thought as Keigo, followed slowly by Mizuiro, came running up to him.

"Heeeeeeeeey Ichigo!" Keigo yelled as he slapped his orange haired friend on the back.

"Morning, Keigo, Mizuiro. Have you seen Rukia?" that morning Rukia had eaten breakfast and left home before he had even woken up. He was curious why she would leave like that without telling him.

"No, I don't think she's here yet," Mizuiro replied, and then continued to confess that Keigo had been waiting at the entrance for Ichigo since they had arrived.

"Wouldn't you of all people know? The girl does live with you," Keigo said quickly to change the uncomfortable subject.

"You'd think, wouldn't 'cha?" The bell rang, and Ichigo lazily went into class.

--

Rukia knocked on the door of the Urahara Shop. She had a few kinks in her gikai and needed some help with it. Ginta answered the door and informed her that Urahara was actually here this time.

"What brings you here, Rukia?" Kisuke asked with a smile on his face.

"My gikai is acting funny, and I'd like you to fix it for me. Do you think you could do that for me? I'm mission school because it's really starting to irritate me," Rukia explained to him. Kisuke stood up and began to examine the gikai.

"Lift your arm…yeah, okay. Say, how's Ichigo doing?"

"Fine, I think. He has been acting a little strange lately…"

"Strange? How so?" he asked as he felt around her wrists and hands.

"I'm not exactly sure…" now that the question was asked she couldn't really place what was wrong with him. She just knew that his behavior was different. "He seems less energetic," she said finally, but shook her head deciding that wasn't quite the right word.

"Less energetic, you say. Maybe he is just exhausted. There have been quite a few hollows around lately, more than usual."

"No, I don't think that's it either," she moaned, frustrated. "It's not a physical exhaustion, it's more of a mental – maybe an emotional – exhaustion. And not so much exhaustion, either, it's more like…distress? No, that's close, but still not the word I'm looking for."

"I see," Kisuke lifted up her left leg and she winced. "Is that painful?"

"Yeah, right here in the hip."

"Maybe he's tired of school?"

"He's always tired of school."

"What about his family? His father doesn't exactly go easy on him."

"Doubtful…"

"Maybe being a shinigami is too much for his spirit…ha, I don't even believe that one." Rukia chuckled. "Is that better?"

"Much, thank you!" she jumped up off the chair he had placed her on.

"What about a girl?"

"A girl? What do you mean, Urahara?"

"Is there a girl, at school maybe, that Ichigo may fancy? He is quite straightforward, but he's never dealt with something like this before. Maybe he's nervous, and can't stop worrying about it."

"You mean…a crush?" Rukia asked as a shade of pink spread over her cheeks.

"Yeah, maybe a crush. It seems the most likely, anyway."

"Ichigo having…a crush…"

"Anyway I'll see you later, Rukia! Come back if you need anything at all, and take care of that lovesick strawberry of yours!"

"Okay, Urahara! And thanks again!" she said as she walked away waving.

"Oh, and don't tell Ichigo I called him strawberry or he'll skin me. Buh bye!"

--

Half the day had passed and it was obvious Rukia wasn't at school. Ichigo was worried. Where could she have gone? _She'd better not be out there killing hollows that are rightfully mine. Knowing her she probably is, maybe trying to get some soul society brownie points or some such thing._ He thought as he stuck a bright red strawberry in his mouth that came off of his store-bought cheesecake.

"Is something wrong, Ichigo?" he turned around to see two giant, pink basketballs staring him in the face. He cringed and backed away. _Dude, _he thought to himself, _those are seriously just TOO BIG!_

"Ichigo?" Orihime asked again. "Is something wrong?"

"Wha--uh, no, nothing's wrong."

"Are you sure? Because I can tell when you're in deep thought, and normally that means something is wrong."

_Heh, oh thanks Orihime! _He thought sarcastically to himself. "I was just thinking about Rukia. She's not at school today."

"Yeah I noticed that, and I was wondering the same thing myself. Rukia almost never skips without a good reason, though."

"I suppose…" he stared at his plate and played with his food with his chopsticks. Just as was making a promise with himself to kick Rukia's ass the next time he saw her, she came prancing happily into the room, a smile on her face, her lunch in her hands, and she came over and sat by Ichigo.

"Hiiiiii Ichigo! And how are you this lovely day?" she said in a singsong voice. "Good to see you too, Orihi…"

"Where the hell have you been?" Ichigo snapped. "You run off in the morning without telling me where you're going, stay gone for hours, then show up at school at pretend nothing happened!"

"I was at Urahara's…"

"Next time, tell me, will you?" his strict voice turned strangely soft and caring. "If something is wrong you can come to me, and don't run off without letting me know. For all I know Aizen could have captured you. Rukia, I was worried."

"Ichigo…" Rukia's face flushed as she thought of what Urahara had said.

_Ichigo,_ Orihime thought as she watched how he looked lovingly into Rukia's eyes. _When did I think I had a chance?_

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. I'll try my hardest to never do that to you again," she smiled softly, forcing a smile to Ichigo's lips as well.

--

**Yay, I'm so proud of this chapter, plus I got to knock Orihime a little! xD That's always fun.**

**Anyway, thanks for reading, I'll try to update soon.**

**Oh, and in case you're not that great with the pairing abbreviations like myself, 'Shuu' stands for 'Hisagi Shuuhei'. **

**Thanks again! **


	2. Chapter 2: Trust

Story Title: Feelings

**Story Title: **Lovesick

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Because of a single instant on his rescue mission, Ichigo finds himself trapped between his heart and his mind. Will he follow his heart, or be guided by the world's standards? Ichi/Shuu and Ichi/Ruki (one-sided). _Yaoi fanfic._

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_ own Bleach.

--

**Chapter 2 – Trust**

--

_I wonder what it meant? _Rukia thought as she lay on the bed in Ichigo's closet. Ichigo was at his desk doing homework. "When he looked into my eyes like that, and said that he was worried. What did it mean?" she whispered to herself. Suddenly the closet door opened and she almost jumped out of her gikai.

"Are you talking to yourself again, Rukia?" Ichigo asked with a smile. "What are you saying? Maybe you're plotting to take over the world, or possibly you're coming up with a new muffin recipe! Do they have nuts in them? If not, I strongly advise to add some."

"None of your business!" Rukia snapped. "And I don't like nuts in muffins, thank-you-very-much!"

"You don't like nuts in muffins! That's inhuman…or inshinigami! Jeez, Rukia, how can you not like perfection?" Ichigo laughed. As they were goofing off, they heard Rukia's pager beep.

"A Hollow," she said dramatically though that fact was overly obvious. Ichigo hurriedly jumped out of his human vessel and through the window, his baggy black outfit ruffling in the wind. Rukia wasn't far behind him, but she didn't have to tell him which way to go anymore. Ichigo could now sense most of the hollows without the help of Rukia's cell phone, except for the really puny ones.

The hollow was quickly dealt with, and they took their time going home. The sun was setting, melting the vibrant colors of orange and red into the normally blue sky.

"Its such a beautiful evening, isn't it, Ichigo?" Rukia said to him, but no answer came from the tall boy clad in black. She had to gasp in awe as she looked up at him. His face was highlighted from the light of the sinking sun, making his masculine features stand out so that Ichigo looked more beautiful than Rukia had ever seen him. The stern and concentrating look on his face made her heart melt as she longed for him.

_Oh my God! _She thought to herself, glad that Ichigo hadn't noticed she had spoken to him, because she was certain her face was as red as the sky. _I think I'm in love with…Ichigo! In __**love! **_She looked up at him again and her eyes widened further than ever before.

"'Sup, Rukia?" he looked at her slightly confused. "You'll stare a hole in my skull if you keep up like that."

"Ah! Sorry Ichigo, I was…just noticing how much you're thinking. I was going to ask you what has got you working your brain so much." With this comment Ichigo's eyes turned to the ground in despair as he stopped walking.

"Ichigo…" Rukia stopped beside him.

"It's nothing, Rukia. I just have a few things on my mind, that's all." It was plain as day that he was hurting, and she wanted to know why. But he wouldn't tell her.

"You can trust me with anything, you should know that, Ichigo. If you need help, no matter what kind of help, I'll be there to assist you in every way I can. There is no reason why you can't trust me with something."

"That means a lot, Rukia, really. But it's more than anything that you can help me with. Sorry," his figure passed by; to Rukia it was a brilliant blur. She watched him as he walked down the street into the sunset. Soon he vanished altogether, but she could still sense his spiritual pressure in the distance.

It hurt Rukia that he didn't trust her and that he had left her alone. He had apologized; was that supposed to make it better?

"Ichigo," she said as tears began to run down her face, "I have never met someone like you in my entire life, and I think that I may be falling in love with you. Why do you insist that you _must_ walk alone? If only you would allow support from those around you, maybe I could understand you. Maybe you would tell me what gave you such a painful look. Why, Ichigo? Why do you push me away?"

--

"Rukia, do you think that something is wrong with Ichigo?" Orihime asked Rukia the next morning.

"Wrong with Ichigo?" Rukia thought back to the night before. Even though it was an awkward risk, Rukia slept in Ichigo's closet like normal, and like she had feared he hadn't said a word to her. "Yeah I think so too, Orihime."

"Really? So it's not just me. Do you know what's wrong?"

"No I don't. I asked him but…"

"Oh…" Orihime felt guilty because in spite the sadness she felt because Ichigo wasn't himself, he had rejected Rukia, which gave Orihime a glimmer of happiness and hope. She made a promise to herself that she would never think like that again, though she knew it would be hard to keep.

--

"Ichigo," Rukia called to him as she plowed through his door to get into his room.

"Rukiaa?" he lifed his head off his pillow and looked towards the now sideways Rukia. "Do you know what time it is?"

"Ten in the morning on a Saturday!" she exclaimed. "Ichigo, there's a hollow, and it's much stronger than any of the weaklings that you've fought before."

"But I sense it's spiritual pressure and it's not that big," he replied still half asleep.

"No, it's not," Rukia replied with a smile, "but up until now you've been fighting mosquitoes. Though this current hollow is still quite weak, it's quite a bit stronger than those others."

"So in other words, no rush," Ichigo responded with a yawn while he stretched. Rukia hurried him along, but before he could even get out of his body the signal and spiritual pressure alike disappeared. They hurried to the site that the hollow was only moments before, only to find none other than Uryu. "Uryu you jerk! That was MY hollow to kill! My God, man, get a bloody life!" Uryu couldn't help but laugh.

"You did take your sweet time, Ichigo," Rukia pointed out.

"Hey Ichigo," Ichigo stopped his playful ranting at the change of Uryu's tone. "I can't help but notice you're not quite yourself. What's up?"

"Damn it! Can't you people leave a guy alone? So I've been musing over something a little more than normal, that such a big deal? Seriously, man!"

"Ichigo, what I'm trying to get at is it happened right after we returned with Rukia from the Soul Society. It's just kind of worrying." Uryu tried to explain calmly.

"Ichigo!" Rukia said so emotionally it surprised both of them. "You said that I had to tell you where I was going because you were worried! Now I'm worried that something might be wrong with you because of me, and you tell me it's nothing. Ichigo…"

"Why would it be because of you?"

"Because, just like Uryu said, you've been acting different ever since you came back from rescuing me! It's only natural to draw such a conclusion!"

"It's not because of you, Rukia. Trust me."

"How can I trust you if you cannot trust me?" Ichigo shook his head and turned to leave.

"Stop, Ichigo," Uryu demanded, and Ichigo did as he was told. "Look at Rukia; she's almost in tears. You can't run away from your problems, not ones with me; not ones with Rukia; and not ones inside yourself. By running away from us here you've shown me that you're likely running away from whatever is troubling you, too. You won't feel any better running, Ichigo. This time you trust me."

"I can't, my whole being is against it. But I can't tell you what it is, either. Something I want more than anything but know I cannot have, and even if I could, I shouldn't. I cannot tell you what pain I'm feeling, Uryu. You demand to know what's wrong so you can help, but believe me, you can't. Nobody can help. I am doing this alone." They let him go, thinking it best to leave the subject for the time being. Ichigo would come to them sooner or later, and if he didn't he would break. Rukia swore she wouldn't let that happen as she called out to him telling him so. He didn't respond, and he didn't look back, but she knew he heard her.

--

**Wow, that took forever to write. Seriously, I don't like homework :P**

**Oh, and I'd like to quickly thank **_**darkangel1992 **_**for reviewing. Much appreciated! **

**Maybe everyone else can follow in the same direction? hint hint nudge nudge .**

**In other words, please REVIEW! xD**


	3. Chapter 3: Undefeated Champion

Story Title: Feelings

**Story Title: **Lovesick

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Because of a single instant on his rescue mission, Ichigo finds himself trapped between his heart and his mind. Will he follow his heart, or be guided by the world's standards? Ichi/Shuu and Ichi/Ruki (one-sided). _Yaoi fanfic._

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_ own Bleach.

--

**Chapter 3 – Undefeated Champion**

--

"Rukia, are you coming to the class picnic too?" Orihime asked with a smile. "It's tomorrow afternoon. We'd better get outside lots before the snow falls!"

"Yeah I'm coming," she replied as she walked home with the orange haired girl. "I'm curious about what you do for picnics. In the Soul Society we go out to eat, but a lot of the time it ends up being a giant gathering of people competing in different things against each other. The higher seats and older people don't normally go to the picnics; it's usually kids and stuff. It's a lot of fun, though."

"Wow that does sound like fun. Over here, it's mostly the guys who fool around, us girls always seem to sit and gossip!" she laughed.

--

"Ichigo," Rukia said to him as they sat alone on the couch watching TV.

"Yeah?"

"I'd like to talk to you, if you don't mind. I don't want to irritate you in any way, though, and I'm not asking you to tell me anything you don't want to…"

"Rukia," Ichigo sighed. "Please don't go onto that topic again. I have enough going on inside me to keep me busy for the time being, and until I sort things out I'm keeping it to myself. Understand?" she nodded her head, and Ichigo got up and went to his room.

_"Why is everybody so persistent?" _he thought as he lay on his bed, staring up at the ceiling. _"I suppose Rukia is worried and I understand that, but it's kinda weird that Uryu has got his nose in this too. Besides…it's not like I can ever tell anybody. Not even__** him. **__I don't even know if I'll ever see him again, anyway, so I don't know why I'm thinking about this so much. It's just that…" _he felt emotional as he thought about it, and just wanted something to cling to. He cursed himself for pushing everybody away because now he was by himself.

"If I cannot have what I want the most, I must settle for what I have. Heh, listen to yourself, Ichigo, you sound so selfish. And look where that got you, fool, now nobody is going to care. You're alone."

"Ichigo," he looked over to Rukia standing in his room. He hadn't heard her come in. "You say such stupid things. As long as I'm here you'll never be alone."

"Rukia," he whispered as sat up. Rukia walked over and sat beside him.

"Come now, Ichigo," she took his hand in both of hers, "you came into enemy territory with such little preparation, almost lost your life several times, and all so you could save me. You showed me compassion that nobody has shown me before, and after that – no, even before that – you've never been alone."

"Rukia, you're right," he took his free hand and placed it on her head with a smile. "Thank you."

--

"Ichigo!" Rukia screamed.

"Got your back, Rukia," she heard a voice behind her and grinned.

"Ichigo," Tatsuki yelled.

"I got it. Go left…Rukia, left!" Ichigo instructed.

"Go for it," Rukia dodged to the left and out of Ichigo's way. She saw the black and white ball fly by and astounding speed and land right in the goal. "Yay!" Rukia jumped up and clapped her hands for the winning goal. "Good job, Ichigo."

"Yea it was an alright shot," Ichigo replied. "Coulda been better."

"That was amazing, Ichigo!" Orihime smiled as she ran up to him. "Since when were you so good at soccer?"

"Since not long ago. That trip to the Soul Society made me so much better at everything. My power, speed and coordination are all 100x better since before I left."

"Come on, Ichigo. You should eat now, or the food will all be gone before you get there," Rukia said as she herself ran for the food table. She wiped the sweat off her forehead. "Soccer is fun."

"Yeah, yeah I'm coming. Save me a rice ball, will ya?"

--

"Ichigo, Rukia, would you like to come over to my house? I'll cook something for dinner," Orihime offered.

"Dinner? Sounds great," Ichigo smiled, and they ended up going to the store so Orihime could buy ingredients for the meal she had just decided to make. But of course it was a surprise, so Ichigo and Rukia had to wait outside. The school picnic had lasted the whole day, and night had already fallen. The brisk autumn air bit their ears and fingers as they stood outside.

"I wish I could see the stars," Rukia whispered. "They're so beautiful at night."

"Yeah, they are. But all the street lights and shit make them so hard to see," Ichigo agreed.

"Have you ever imagined…" but her sentence trailed off. "No, never mind."

"Never mind what? What have you imagined?"

"It'll sound weird. I said never mind!" she retorted.

"Come on, Rukia. What was it?" he put his hand on her head and messed up her hair. "No need to hide anything from me."

"But you'll laugh," she smirked.

"Try me."

"Fine. Have you ever imagined that, one day, when you have your first kiss, it'll be on a night like this one? The moon is out, and though the stars aren't visible, the sky is gorgeous. And it's not hot. I like it cooler like tonight, when the air is fresh and crisp. I've always imagined that I'd have my first kiss on a night like this." She turned her gaze from the sky towards Ichigo, who she assumed would be almost laughing.

"No, Rukia, I haven't," his eyes were turned to the moon. "But now that you say it like that, it makes me imagine it. But hey, Imagination can only go so far, right?"

"What do you mean?" he looked at her and brushed a hair away from her face. Ichigo leaned over and pressed his lips against hers. She was surprised for a moment, but kissed him back. She felt her cold face flush with warmth.

"Was that how you imagined it?" he asked softly as he pulled slowly away.

"Ichigo…"

"Oh wow, it got colder since I went in!" they turned to see Orihime with multiple, overly full shopping bags in her arms. She handed a few to Rukia, and the majority to Ichigo, and they began walking home. Ichigo and Rukia didn't say a word for the walk, unless they were asked a direct question from the talkative Orihime who couldn't stop yapping about a new dress she bought, and how it was a new recipe she was trying tonight.

"Bring the bags in here, please," Orihime said as she took off her shoes and went into the kitchen. "I'll start on supper, you two can play on my wii if you'd like."

"Wii?" Rukia asked, puzzled.

"It's a video game. Here, I'll show you," Ichigo went over to Orihime's living room, followed by Rukia, and turned on the little white box beside her TV. "It's really interesting, you're tricked into the lie that video gaming is sitting on the cough, eating potato chips, and being over all lazy then _BAM! _They come out with this thing that you have to stand up and move around to win, and before you know it you're hungry because the chips are way over on the couch but you can't go over and get them because you're too damn sore." He handed her a wiimote and they started with the dreaded _Mii Channel. _

"Aww! It's cute!" Rukia smiled as Ichigo created his gaming character. He refused to call it a _Mii, _because he said it made it less menacing.

"It's not cute…"

"No, Ichigo, it's pretty cute. Is it you?"

"No, they don't have orange for a hair color so I'm making a character that is going to go by _Ichi."_

"Very original," she laughed sarcastically.

"Make yours," he handed the controller to her.

"Alright. Mine is going to be called Miss Bunny, and she is going to wear pink, have white hair like Captain Hitsugaya, and a cute little smile!" Then they went to the game that Ichigo referred to as his _warm up game. _He said it so dramatically Rukia was slightly scared that it would be some extremely hard FPS or some such thing. It ended up being tennis.

"No no no! _I _am the baseball champion! You cannot beat me, Ichigo!"

"Haha, you sure? One more strike out and I WIN!"

"It won't happen, I will not lose!"

"Damn it!" Ichigo swore as he fell back on the couch in defeat.

"I won!" Rukia squealed. "The champion remains undefeated!"

--

**And thus I must end this chapter, sadly, because certain parental figures are nagging me. So I bid thee farewell.**

**Oh, and to the anonymous reviewer that titled their review 'What?!', Shuu is coming shortly. **

**Please Review!!**


	4. Chapter 4: Oral Hygiene

**Story Title: **Lovesick

**Rating:** T

**Summary:** Because of a single instant on his rescue mission, Ichigo finds himself trapped between his heart and his mind. Will he follow his heart, or be guided by the world's standards? Ichi/Shuu and Ichi/Ruki (one-sided). _Yaoi fanfic._

**Disclaimer:** I do _NOT_ own Bleach.

--

**Chapter 4 – Oral Hygiene**

--

"Thank you for dinner!" Rukia waved back for probably the 10th time. "It was delicious!"

"Glad you could come! I'll cook again for you sometime!" Orihime smiled as she waved vigorously towards her departing guests. They strolled along quietly and happily after they left Orihime's earshot, content with the satisfying meal.

"What did it mean?" Rukia asked Ichigo after another near-death encounter with Ichigo's father (of course it wasn't Ichigo who was on the brink of death, it was his 'loving' Daddy).

"What did what mean?" he closed the door to his room behind him to keep out any further interruptions into his life from his family.

"Well, you kissed me, but I didn't think you harbored any special feelings for me…" she fell silent, regretting she had asked, while a warm embarrassment flooded into her face the more she thought about her mistake.

Ichigo made no response, and when she looked up from the sheets of his bed she realized that he wasn't moving either. He was leaning against his bedroom wall, his hands in his pockets and his eyes to the floor, probably thinking.

He said finally, "you said that you had always imagined it, and the way you told me about it made it seem like it was a dream of yours. Dreams are precious, and when one is realized the dream bearer is _normally_ extremely happy. Thinking that is what made me kiss you, Rukia; I wanted to make your dream come true, because I wanted you to be happy."

"Ichigo, that's so sweet of you…"

Ichigo went over to his bed and sat beside her. "I'm sorry if it was out of place."

"Out of place? It was the nicest thing someone has ever done for me, and the sweetest thing someone has ever said to me. You wanted to make me happy, so I'll guarantee that you did more than that. I don't think I could be happier."

"Heh, I suppose that was one thing I didn't manage to mess up," Ichigo remarked.

"What else did you mess up?"

"Uryu. If it weren't for our trip to soul society he'd never have gotten that idea that started him on his weird line of clothes. He dresses like a freak."

"Uryu was always a little bit messed in the head," Rukia giggled. "Nobody can change that."

--

Rukia got a call from soul society. Byakuya wanted her back home for a while to deal with some family issues and other related stuff. Strangely enough he wanted her back A.S.A.P., so she had to oblige and depart immediately.

"Now," Rukia explained to Ichigo on the night of her departure, "even though you probably won't need it, soul society is sending another shinigami to take my place while I'm away."

"So what, a baby-sitter? Rukia, I don't need help, Uryu, Chad, Orihime and I can handle things," Ichigo grumbled.

"I don't have a say in it. Head Captain Yamamoto ordered it, and though I'm sure he knows you're capable, he probably just wants an official shinigami on the job."

"Well fine, but it better not be some fat guy who does nothing but eat. Oh, do I have to house them? How will I explain it to my folks?"

"I got an idea…" Rukia smirked.

--

"You'd better not do anything stupid or disgusting in there, you got that? And stick to the plan!" Ichigo growled at Rukia's body. Kon now inhabited it.

"Yes sir! I will not let you down!"

"Good." They walked out together to greet Ichigo's family that morning.

"Good morning!" Kon beamed. "How is everybody?" he was welcomed with cheerful replies. "Uh, Mr. Kurosaki?" he approached Ichigo's father.

"Yes, Miss Rukia?" he practically bowed to her.

"A relative of mine is passing through and doesn't have any place to stay, would it be alright if I offered for him to stay with us for a few days?"

"Oh great," Kon heard Karin mumble from a corner.

"Of course, Rukia dear!" Kurosaki chimed back. "I'll clean out our guest room for your relative!"

_Hunh, _Ichigo thought as he looked at his father with bewilderment, _we have a guest room?_

I wonder why Rukia sleeps in Ichigo's closet if they have a guest room? Kon thought as he pretended to be grateful for the favor.

"Hey, Ichigo," Kon poked him as they walked down the street. It was Saturday so there was no school, and they were off to pick up a few groceries for Yuzu. They stepped into their local grocery store and Ichigo instantly felt an odd feeling crawl through his body. He mentioned it to Kon, who said that he also felt something strange.

"Pickles, rotten cabbage, fresh pork, a toothbrush, M&M's, and apple cider vinegar? What the hell is my sister planning to concoct?" he joked to Kon as they were trying to figure out which kind of M&M's she wanted.

"Peanuts inside, almonds, plain…?" Kon read through a few of them. "What verities, how will we know what she wants?"

"Well my dad's allergic to peanuts, so let's get those…"

"What color toothbrush?" Kon asked next.

"What does it matter? They're all the same," Ichigo mumbled.

"All the same? Have you never gone toothbrush shopping before? Even the simplest of toothbrushes have different hardness's, and then you get into the dental toothbrushes, electronic brushes…"

"Since when were you so up on oral hygiene?" Ichigo asked in surprise.

"Can I help you with anything?" Ichigo heard a voice behind him. He felt that same feeling inside him that both he and Kon had felt when they entered the store, but shrugged it off.

_Since when do people at the grocery store ask if anyone needs help? _Ichigo thought as he began turning around.

"Nah, I think we'll be fine…" he felt his heart stop.

**--**

**So sorry for taking so long with the update! I've been hellishly busy with school the past few months, but I finally got some free time to work my fingers. Shh, don't tell anyone, or this might be the last in awhile :o**

**Thanks for reading! Please review! ^_^**


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